A few weeks ago, I was watching ABC nightly news with Diane Sawyer and she had a segment encouraging people to buy products Made in America. She proposed a challenge for people to buy at least one gift this season that is made in America.

“The average American will spend $700 on holiday gifts and goodies this year, totaling more than $465 billion, the National Retail Federation estimates. If that money was spent entirely on US made products it would create 4.6 million jobs. But it doesn’t even have to be that big. If each of us spent just $64 on American made goods during our holiday shopping, the result would be 200,000 new jobs.”

I LOVE this! Supporting your local businesses and help create jobs here in America, who wouldn’t want to be involved? Need some help on gifts Made in America, no problem! Here is a list ABC is compiling.

Are you going to join in on the movement? What did you find that is Made in America?

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Typically, I don’t sit at a desk for long during a work day. Being a realtor, I’m usually on the go – showing houses, talking to clients and contract management. Lots of times, I won’t be at my office when I need get something done. That brings me to my post today. Here are my favorite items I would be lost without.

1. Smart phone – Oh what did I do with out you? The ability to get emails and intenet wherever I am is priceless. I’m able to repsond to client emails, make showing appointments on the fly.

2. IPAD – The greatest invention ever! This device has transformed the way I meet with clients. I can go through a marketing plan, show comparative home sales, search for properties and draw up a contract.

3. Docusign – I try very hard to be paperless. Docusign is a great tool for my clients and myself. Long gone are the days of printing out contracts to sign then, scan and email back just to repeat over and over. I’m able to send a contract or any paperwork to clients via email and they can sign/initial documents from their office or on the go. This speeds up the transaction.

4. Supra key – This device lets me unlock houses for buyers and lets me know when and who enters a listing of mine.

5. Digital distance reader – I can take room measurements with a click of a button and quickly. No more messing with long measuring tapes, which I usually snap myself when retracting it.

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Did you hear the good news? Houston real estate is doing well. The Houston Association of Realtor’s released a market report, Nov 16, 2011 which details the improving local Houston market.

Here are some highlights:

Five consecutive months of positive home sales

Sales were up 3.4% this year

All-time high for avg. price in Houston for October at $208,506

Townhome/condo sales rose for the fourth straight month

Houston single family home months of inventory (6.6 months) is below national average (8.5 months.)

The Houston market has continued to stay strong in sales with strong local markets like The Woodlands, Cinco Ranch in Katy and Inner Loop. The Woodlands market has seen an influx and will continue to as more and more Chevron jobs and people move to the area to be closer to the new head quarters. Master planned communities also do well and Cinco Ranch is no exception. With the great schools and community amenities, Cinco Ranch is one hot market! The other area that continues to be desirable for home buyers is the Inner Loop market.

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I received a card today from a past client with such kind words that it put the biggest smile on my face and made my day! It is things like this that make me love my job. Here is just a small portion of what they said.

“Thank you so much for your great work in helping us buy our home. We are very happy! Hopefully, you can come visit soon and see it with all our things, the way we’ve set it up.” Amanda and Jake

They were such an amazing couple and it was my pleasure to help them buy their home here in Houston.

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HAR is the best site for home searching in Houston…actually the best in the whole US.

I use my IPad and my cell phone more than my laptop anymore for real estate needs. And, my technology world just got better! This new HAR app that was just released is GREAT! You can search for homes for sale or lease, find open houses and even bookmark your favorites. The technology hasn’t always been Apple friendly, but so far I haven’t had any issues using on my IPad.

Here are some of the great benefits of using this mobile web application:

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I have had a large dog since I moved into the city 11 years ago. Many people thought I was crazy to have a big dog in a small apartment. To me it just meant finding places inner loop to take Peety dog (and now Zukey too) for excercise.

Most of our weekends start off with a trip to the dog park. In our house you can’t mention the word park until you are ready to go, as the dogs go crazy with excitement. Our favorite dog park is the Danny Jackson Family Dog Park, which is just a quick drive. It’s located off Westpark and Newcastle.

Going to the Dog Park is a family event

The park is fully fenced and has a small side for the little dogs and one for the large dogs. Having the dog park fenced is such an awesome feature so I know my dogs are safe. It’s a great park with a pond which all the dogs swim in and a covered area for owners to sit and watch their dogs. My favorite feature is the wash station. No worries about how dirty they get! I love clean dogs and here they provide hoses and water, so the dogs get baths before heading home.

I’ve met some great people (and their dogs) at the park. Dogs don’t worry about not having a yard or only a small yard when they get to come to this HUGE yard and play with friends. My dogs are very happy, which makes me happy.

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The new numbers are out for Houston area home sales and it’s GOOD NEWS! I think we can use some encouraging words about home values and be thankful we live in Houston. Below is the official press release from HAR.

HOUSTON-AREA HOME SALES RISE FOR A FOURTH STRAIGHT MONTH

Average and median prices reach September highs; market on “strong footing”

HOUSTON — (October 18, 2011) — Houston temperatures finally cooled a bit in September, but home sales remained hot. Sales of single-family homes climbed nearly 17 percent when compared to one year earlier and accounted for the fourth consecutive month of increased sales volume. The prices of those homes achieved all-time highs for a September in Houston. In addition, months inventory fell to the lowest level since May 2010 while pending sales rose and active listings declined. All are considered signs of a healthy and balanced housing market as the fall season gets underway.

According to the latest monthly data prepared by the Houston Association of REALTORS® (HAR), September sales of single-family homes rose 16.9 percent versus one year earlier. This increase followed home sales gains recorded in January, June, July and August of this year. All segments of the housing market, from the sub-$80,000 to the $500,000 and above, experienced positive sales in September. On a year-to-date basis, sales were up 3.2 percent.

“The combination of increased closed and pending sales, fewer active listings and strong pricing suggests that we are entering the fall home buying season on strong footing,” said Carlos P. Bujosa, HAR chairman and VP at Transwestern. “HAR’s September report shows rebalanced supply and demand throughout the Houston housing market with diminishing traces of the distortions caused by last year’s federal home buyer tax credit.”

The average price of a single-family home ticked up 0.4 percent from September 2010 to $213,334, the highest level for a September in Houston. The September single-family home median price—the figure at which half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less—also reached a September high for the market, rising 1.6 percent to $157,500.

Foreclosure property sales reported in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) increased 2.4 percent year-over-year in September. Foreclosures comprised 19.4 percent of all property sales, which is consistent with the levels it has maintained each month since May when it was more than 22 percent. The median price of foreclosures in September was flat at $81,900.

September sales of all property types in Houston totaled 5,469, up 15.9 percent compared to September 2010. Total dollar volume for properties sold during the month jumped 16.0 percent to $1.1 billion versus $962 million one year earlier.

September Monthly Market Comparison

The month of September brought Houston’s overall housing market positive results when all sales categories are compared to September of 2010. Sales volume gains showed more normal, seasonal trending after several months in which the data was skewed by the 2010 tax credit that caused a dramatic drop in home sales following its expiration. Total property sales and total dollar volume rose on a year-over-year basis. Both average and median prices climbed to historic levels for a September in Houston.

Month-end pending sales for September totaled 3,120. That is up 3.2 percent from last year and suggests the likelihood of another positive month of sales when the October figures are tallied. The number of available properties, or active listings, at the end of September declined 11.5 percent from September 2010 to 47,812. The inventory of single-family homes was reduced to 6.8 months, its lowest level since May 2010, compared to 7.7 months one year earlier. That means it would take 6.8 months to sell all the single-family homes on the market based on sales activity over the past year. The figure is significantly better than the national inventory of single-family homes of 8.5 months reported by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). These indicators all reflect a balanced real estate marketplace for Houston.

The number of available properties, or active listings, at the end of August declined 11.5 percent from August 2010 to 48,752. The inventory of single-family homes was reduced to 7.1 months compared to 7.8 months one year earlier. That means it would take 7.1 months to sell all the single-family homes on the market based on sales activity over the past year. The figure is significantly better than the national inventory of single-family homes of 9.4 months reported by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).

CATEGORIES

SEPTEMBER 2010

SEPTEMBER 2011

PERCENT CHANGE

Total property sales

4,720

5,469

15.9%

Total dollar volume

$962,851,241

$1,117,023,816

16.0%

Total active listings

54,027

47,812

-11.5%

Total pending sales

3,023

3,120

3.2%

Single-family home sales

3,965

4,635

16.9%

Single-family average sales price

$212,581

$213,334

0.4%

Single-family median sales price

$155,000

$157,500

1.6%

Months inventory*

7.7

6.8

-11.0%

* Months inventory estimates the number of months it will take to deplete current active inventory based on the prior 12 months sales activity. This figure is representative of the single-family homes market.

Single-Family Homes Update

September sales of single-family homes in Houston totaled 4,635, up 16.9 percent from September 2010. This marks the fifth increase of the year following an 8.5 percent gain in January, 1.3 percent rise in June, and 15.2 and 28.3 percent increases in July and August, respectively. On a year-to-date basis, sales are ahead 3.2 percent.

Broken out by segment, September sales of homes priced below $80,000 rose 11.4 percent; sales of homes in the $80,000-$150,000 range climbed 21.8 percent; sales of homes between $150,000 and $250,000 were up 18.7 percent; sales of homes ranging from $250,000-$500,000 jumped 26.8 percent; and sales of homes that make up the luxury market—priced from $500,000 and up—advanced 2.3 percent.

Both average and median price achieved the highest levels ever for a September in Houston. At $213,334, the average price of single-family homes rose 0.4 percent compared to last September. At $157,500, the median sales price for single-family homes edged up 1.6 percent versus September 2010. The national single-family median price reported by NAR is $168,300, illustrating the continued higher value and lower cost of living available to consumers in Houston.

HAR also breaks out the sales performance of existing single-family homes throughout the Houston market. In September 2011, existing home sales totaled 3,880, a 20.0 percent hike from September 2010. The average sales price ticked up 0.4 percent to $201,836 compared to last year and the median sales price of $145,000 reflects an increase of 2.1 percent.

Townhouse/Condominium Update

The number of townhouses and condominiums that sold in September jumped 14.0 percent compared to one year earlier, marking the fourth monthly sales increase of the year. The first was a 14.7 percent rise in January, followed by a 25.3 percent increase in June and 19.2 percent gain in August. In the greater Houston area, 383 units were sold last month versus 336 properties in September 2010.

The average price slid 0.9 percent to $152,275 from September 2010 to September 2011. The median price of a townhouse/condominium edged up 0.9 percent to $115,000.

Lease Property Update

September saw continued elevated demand for lease properties throughout the Houston market. Single-family home rentals rose 17.4 percent compared to one year earlier and year-over-year townhouse/condominium rentals jumped 30.0 percent. HAR has reported for several months that this demand has been largely fueled by steady improvement in local employment numbers, with REALTORS® observing a surge in consumers relocating to Houston from around the U.S. The Texas Workforce Commission recently reported that the Greater Houston area gained 65,000 jobs from August 2010 to August 2011, a 2.6 percent increase.

Houston Real Estate Milestones in September

Volume of single-family home sales rose for the fifth time in 2011, following increases in January, June, July and August;

Volume of townhouse/condominium sales rose for the fourth time in 2011;

At $213,334, the average price of a single-family home reached the highest level for a September in Houston;

At 157,500, the median price of a single-family home reached the highest level for a September in Houston;

Single-family home rentals rose 17.4 percent;

Townhouse/condominium rentals increased 30.0 percent;

6.8 months inventory of single-family homes is the lowest level since May 2010 and compares favorably to the national average of 8.5 months.

The computerized Multiple Listing Service of the Houston Association of REALTORS® includes residential properties and new homes listed by REALTORS® throughout Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties, as well as parts of Brazoria, Galveston, Waller and Wharton counties. Residential home sales statistics as well as listing information for more than 50,000 properties may be found on the Internet at http://www.har.com.

The information published and disseminated to the HAR Multiple Listing Services is communicated verbatim, without change by Multiple Listing Services, as filed by MLS participants.

The MLS does not verify the information provided and disclaims any responsibility for its accuracy. All data is preliminary and subject to change. Monthly sales figures reported since November 1998 includes a statistical estimation to account for late entries. Twelve-month totals may vary from actual end-of-year figures. (Single-family detached homes were broken out separately in monthly figures beginning February 1988.)

Founded in 1918, the Houston Association of REALTORS® (HAR) is a member organization of real estate professionals engaged in every aspect of the industry, including residential and commercial sales and leasing, appraisal, property management and counseling. It is the largest individual dues-paying membership trade association in Houston as well as the second largest local association/board of REALTORS® in the United States.